Selling

Simplicity
The Market of Mental
Wellness and Inner Calm
Not to be distributed without permission.
Selling Simplicity
The Market of Mental
Wellness and Inner Calm

AN EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT

The Path to Inner Calm: Mental Wellness through Simplicity—
Global Market Impact

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© 2017 Euromonitor International

 As mental illness starts to shake off its stigma and more people become aware of
the value of maintaining their mental wellness, there is increasing demand for
products and services that help us focus, relax and simplify our hectic, complicated
and connected lives. This global report looks at awareness of mental wellness and its
impact on markets such as outdoor wear, spa treatments, gardening and homewares.

iv © Euromonitor International
 INTRODUCTION

Key trends
Mental Health Trends and Associated Activities

Mental Wellness

Meditation and solitude Nature Less stuff

Mindfulness, meditation, Gardening, KonMari franchise, quality
yoga, adult colouring, spas hiking, camping homewares, recycling

Source: Euromonitor International

Mental illness: Shaking off stigma

Rising awareness of mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, has encouraged
consumers globally to take better care and attention with regards to their stress levels
and general mental health. This trend is causing a shift to preventative healthcare and
a more holistic approach to wellbeing.

Time to oneself: The appeal of solitude

Euromonitor International’s Global Consumer Trends Survey in 2015 found that 31%
of consumers ranked “time to myself” as one of the top three factors in a happy life.
Escape from other people in such a connected world is increasingly prized and has
opened up opportunities for marketing solitude and peace.

Quietness in nature: Getting back into the wild

One popular way to detach from the busy world and to have time alone—or at least
away from the crowds—is through nature. Hiking is becoming a key pastime for
consumers of all ages across the globe, while some markets are seeing a resurgence in
gardening, as home owners get back to nature and work to create their own peaceful
retreat at home.

© Euromonitor International 1
I nt ro d uc t i o n

Quietness of mind: Thinking about nothing

Another method for escape is through quietening the mind, with activities such
as mindfulness, yoga and adult colouring, all of which have seen a surge in
popularity. Extreme solitude options, such as sensory deprivation tanks, are also
increasing trends.

Quietness of place: Decluttering the home

There is also an increased desire for quiet, calm environments through decluttering
and simplifying the home—a trend which also ties into environmental concerns.
Consumers are looking to own less stuff and, at the same time, make the stuff they
own work harder in terms of both function and design.

2 © Euromonitor International
 DESTIGMATISING
MENTAL ILLNESS

Raising awareness and fostering

mental wellness
Mental health awareness is a key topic in developed markets in particular; a huge
amount of work has taken place to raise understanding of common mental illnesses,
such as depression and anxiety, and to reduce the stigma attached to these. Groups
have also worked to lobby governments to
introduce mental health awareness policies.
Nevertheless, stigmas still remain, 75% of Italians believe that people
especially in countries where these are suffering from depression should
socially entrenched. avoid talking about it.
Italian Ministry of
However, attitudes have shown significant Health Survey 2013
improvement in markets such as the US and
the UK, with people becoming more open to
discussing mental health issues. In the UK, mental health attitudes have measurably
improved between 2011 and 2015. Time To Change’s survey in 2015 showed that,
compared to 2011, people are less likely to discriminate against people with mental
health problems. 66% (up from 57%) said they were willing to live with someone
with mental health problems, while 89% (up from 82%) said they were willing to
continue a friendship. 91% agreed that we need to adopt a more tolerant approach to
people with mental health problems, while 65% acknowledge that someone close
to them has mental health problems.

© Euromonitor International 3
D e st i g m ati s i n g M e n ta l Il l ness

The Rise of Preventative Mental Healthcare

Increased incidence of Rising awareness of

depression / anxiety mental health issues

Shifts towards Moving to holistic

preventative healthcare approach to wellness

Increased self-care and optimisation of mental wellness

Source: Euromonitor International

In addition to facilitating treatment for those suffering from recurrent and severe
mental illnesses, this shift in attitudes has helped to foster a culture of preventative
care, where many consumers consider it important to prioritise their mental wellness
in addition to their physical wellness and take action to deal with stress, depression
and anxiety.

Limiting stress: An increasing priority

Awareness of the important role that stress and mental health plays in overall health
is moderately high in many countries and increased across all surveyed countries
between 2011 and 2015. This is not limited to the developed markets: Brazil shows a
particularly high prioritisation of stress issues, as do Russia and India. All three
countries rank above the US in this regard. Japan shows the least concern about
reducing stress.

Ranking “Limited Daily Stress Levels” as Very Important in Good Health, 2011 / 2015

70%

60%

50%

40%
% respondents

30%

20%

10%

0%
Brazil Russia India US UK China France Germany Japan

2011 2015

Source: Euromonitor International Global Consumer Trends Survey

© Euromonitor International STRATEGY BRIEFING: THE PATH TO INNER CALM – MENTAL WELLNESS THROUGH SIMPLICITY PASSPORT 1

4 © Euromonitor International
 De st ig m at isin g Me n ta l Illne s s

Nevertheless, there is a gap between recognising the importance of limiting stress and
taking action to relieve stress, particularly in Brazil. India is an exception, due to its
strong yoga culture. Here, participation in stress relieving activities is in balance with
the level of importance given to stress.

Concern about stress peaks, particularly

among women
Globally, women tend to consider stress reduction as a more important part of health
than men do, with around 40% considering it very important, compared to 32% of men.
However, women are not notably more inclined to participate in stress relief activities,
such as massage, with around 42% doing this less than once a month. Consumption
of antidepressants is rising in the UK, with more than one in 10 women in 2015 found
to have taken them—more than double the rate for men. 29% of women seek mental
health treatment in a year, compared to 17% of men.

Ranking “Limited Daily Stress Levels” as Important or Very Important in Good Health
by Gender, 2015

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%
% respondents

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Male Female

Very Important Important Neither Unimportant Not all important

Source: Euromonitor
© Euromonitor International International Global
STRATEGY BRIEFING: THE Consumer Trends
PATH TO INNER CALM – Survey
MENTAL WELLNESS THROUGH SIMPLICITY PASSPORT 1

© Euromonitor International 5
 MENTAL WELLNESS:
THE ART OF REDUCING

Retreating from life: The joy of solitude

“Detox” from busy lives with long working hours and the constant connection of the
digital world is something that is sought after by people keen to maintain or improve
their mental wellness. This takes many forms: for some, escape from modern life
comes in the form of an active meditation or mindfulness exercise, such as yoga or
adult colouring in. For others, it comes with physically removing oneself from everyday
life through a connection with nature: for example walking, running or gardening.
Intense solitude is also a method of retreat, and includes treatments such as sensory
deprivation tanks, which are expected to be a trend in 2016. Time alone can also be
about quiet indulgence, such as a spa weekend.

Finding wellness in nature: Enjoying the

great outdoors
In addition to physical wellness, physical, solo or near-solo exercise in the outdoors
has become a way of achieving mental wellness for a large number of consumers
across the world. Hiking / walking was found by Euromonitor International’s Global
Consumer Trends Survey to be the most popular form of physical exercise of all.
Globally, 66% of respondents claimed to hike or walk at least weekly, peaking in
India, Germany, China and Russia. Running and cycling are also popular ways to
exercise outdoors.

6 © Euromonitor International
 Me n tal We lln e ss: The Art of R e duc i ng

% Respondents Active Once or More per Week, 2015

90

80

70

60
% respondents

50

40

30

20

10

0
Hiking Run/jog Cycling
Brazil China France Germany India Japan Russia UK US

Source: Euromonitor
© Euromonitor International International Global
STRATEGY BRIEFING: Consumer
THE Trends
PATH TO INNER CALM –Survey
MENTAL WELLNESS THROUGH SIMPLICITY PASSPORT 1

Western Europe embraces gardening to

relax…and socialise
A 2014 report by outdoor gardening company Alfresia found that, in the UK, gardening
outranked the cinema and even family time as a favourite leisure activity among 25–35
year-olds. Young couples were found to spend 12–15 hours a month on gardening.
A 2015 survey by the Royal Horticultural Society showed that 89% of 16–24 year-olds
have a garden or grow plants.

Although Italy saw a decline in gardening sales over the 2009–2014 period, driven by
recession, there is still a groundswell of keen gardeners, many of whom are embracing
gardening even more enthusiastically to
save money by growing their own fruit and
vegetables. According to trade sources, For consumers with stressful jobs
the number of people in Italy who are and long working hours, evenings
passionate about gardening amounts to 10 and weekends are an escape into
million, 4.5 million of whom take care of gardening—and they are keen on
terraces, 3–5 million with gardens, and the innovation and convenience.
rest with a piece of land on which to grow Euromonitor International
Analyst, Germany
fruit and vegetables for their own
consumption.

© Euromonitor International 7
M e nta l W e lln es s : T he Art of Red u cing

For German consumers, gardening is a way to relax and switch off from their working
lives. They are willing to spend heavily on products which allow them to embrace their
hobby and which make the laborious tasks easier or quicker.

Not just for loners: Meditation time

goes social
While meditation is largely a way to relieve stress through simplicity and solitude, 2016
is seeing a shift, with meditation becoming a social activity in some markets, including
the US and Europe. For example, The Path is an invitation-only meditation meeting
in New York—the 6am meetings, targeted at successful business people, are a form of
networking through group meditation. The Big Quiet is an organised group meditation
which started off in Central Park but is now aiming to spread to multiple cities with its
large—800 or more—meditation gatherings. Drop in group meditation can be found at
Los Angeles’ Unplug and New York city’s MNDFL.

Large group events, such as Morning Gloryville and Daybreaker, are seeing success
on a global scale, with their early morning, alcohol-free raves. Morning Gloryville has
hosted events across Europe, the US, Australia, India and Japan. Morning Gloryville
offers a range of stress relieving activities in addition to music, such as massages and
yoga, and sells health-focused foods and drinks, such as smoothies and organic coffee.
Other meditative events are similarly diversifying into a broader range of activities
designed to be both relaxing and social, such as sound baths, learning to knit mindfully
in a group, and listening to lectures from Buddhist monks.

The urge for simplicity

Hectic, internet connected lifestyles have led many consumers to hanker for a time
when life was simpler. While this is in part reflected by a drive to spend time alone,
or quietly reflecting in nature, it is also reflected in a desire to simplify or streamline
other aspects of life, reducing material possessions and clutter to a minimum in
order to give a clearer, more focused mindset.

8 © Euromonitor International
 Me n tal We lln e ss: The Art of R e duc i ng

“Life Used to Be Simpler and Better” Respondents, 2015

Brazil
60

UK 50 China
40

30

20

US 10 France
Strongly agree
0
Agree

Russia Germany

Japan India

Source:
© Euromonitor Euromonitor
International International
STRATEGY Global
BRIEFING: THE Consumer
PATH Trends
TO INNER CALM SurveyWELLNESS THROUGH SIMPLICITY
– MENTAL PASSPORT 1

Differences with regards to hankering for the simple life are not strongly visible by age
or gender. The age group where the highest proportion agreed or strongly agreed that
life used to be simpler or better was the 45–59 year-old age group, very closely followed
by 30–44 year-olds. In terms of gender, there was a slight leaning towards females, but
only by a very small margin.

Peak stuff?
When Steve Howard of Ikea announced that we have reached “peak stuff ”, he
tapped into a zeitgeist pervasive in the developed world. Peak stuff is not just about
simplifying to achieve mental calmness,
but also reflects environmental and ethical
concerns about excess ownership, as well
as the shift towards non-ownership that has
Peak stuff
A saturation point for material
come with streaming entertainment and
short-term car hire as an alternative to car
goods, leading to decline in
ownership. Owning stuff is no longer the
overall item consumption
aspirational state that it once was. The
Millennial generation, in particular, typifies this mindset, and places priority on
experiential consumption, such as travel or eating out, rather than on the collection of
material items. This has led in part to the embracing of an aesthetic that is streamlined
and simple, and that minimises resource use.

© Euromonitor International 9
 CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

Awareness of the importance of mental Key Opportunities

wellness and down time has created
Solo time: Meditation
numerous opportunities for meditation and mindfulness
and mindfulness services, from activities
such as adult colouring in to guided

WINNERS
meditation apps, yoga wear and spa services,
with sensory deprivation tanks expected
to rise in popularity in 2016. A second Back to nature and the
impact of the drive to solitude is renewed digital detox
engagement with nature. Urban dwellers,
in particular, are looking for ways to
connect with the outdoors, through hiking,
camping and simple pleasures such as
Clutter: No more stuff
gardening and sketching. LOSERS

There are few losers in this area, as, while

people are seeking out quiet time and
simple pursuits, this is in balance with
their otherwise busy and social lives.
However, simplification is clearly impacting
home aesthetics, with cluttered houses
Source: Euromonitor International
and the collecting of things becoming © Euromonitor International STRATEGY BRIEFING: THE PATH TO INNER CALM – MEN
unfashionable. Instead, simple, multifunctional, beautiful and environmentally
responsible (recycled or re-used) items are on the rise.

10 © Euromonitor International
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